Synonyms of wreck

wreck 1 of 2

noun

ˈrek 

1

as in wreckage

the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed

found the wreck of the ship lying on the floor of the ocean

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wreckage
• debris
• rubble
• ruins
• remains
• remnant
• ashes
• detritus
• residue
• flotsam
• junk
• dust
• garbage
• refuse
• litter
• leavings
• scrap
• jetsam
• trash
• rubbish
• waste
• chaff
• dross
• deadwood
• riffraff

2

as in wrecking

the destruction or loss of a ship

the wreck cost the insurance company millions of dollars

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wrecking
• sinking
• shipwreck
• wreckage
• shipwrecking
• stranding
• beaching
• foundering
• grounding
• scuttling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovery
• salvage
• salvaging

3

as in collision

the violent coming together of two bodies into destructive contact

a dangerous stretch of roadway that has been the scene of numerous car wrecks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• collision
• crash
• accident
• smashup
• concussion
• crack-up
• smash
• destruction
• pileup
• ruin
• demolishment

wreck

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to scuttle

to cause irreparable damage to (a ship) by running aground or sinking

many an unwary captain has wrecked his ship on the shoals that surround the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scuttle
• shipwreck
• strand
• beach
• founder

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recover
• salvage

2

as in to ruin

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of

most of the furniture on the ground floor was wrecked by the floodwaters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruin
• destroy
• demolish
• shatter
• devastate
• smash
• damage
• overcome
• waste
• desolate
• annihilate
• extinguish
• tear down
• total
• erode
• ravage
• cripple
• decimate
• mar
• vaporize
• wrack
• pull down
• pulverize
• cream
• defeat
• raze
• kill
• dismantle
• rub out
• blast
• break
• crush
• nuke
• injure
• best
• remove
• do in
• spoil
• subdue
• harm
• disintegrate
• deteriorate
• impair
• conquer
• havoc
• prevail (over)
• triumph (over)
• master
• rout
• disfigure
• win (against)
• lick
• trim
• dynamite
• surmount
• scotch
• mutilate
• thrash
• sweep (away)
• blow up
• dissolve
• whip
• wear (away)
• vitiate
• deface
• mangle
• obliterate
• eradicate
• wash out
• wipe out
• slaughter
• sack
• beat
• scour
• undo
• plunder
• gut
• loot
• disassemble
• fell
• take down
• blot out
• massacre
• clobber
• assassinate
• murder
• cut down
• unmake
• overbear
• expunge
• despoil
• extirpate
• exterminate
• trounce
• liquidate
• slay
• kill off
• overmatch
• pillage
• trash
• skunk
• dilapidate
• vandalize
• drub
• wallop
• trample
• snuff (out)
• efface
• butcher
• take out
• dispatch
• stamp (out)
• unbuild
• mow (down)
• root (out)
• execute
• zap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• build
• set up
• construct
• repair
• raise
• fix
• rear
• put up
• create
• erect
• patch
• mend
• make
• found
• produce
• shape
• form
• manufacture
• protect
• invent
• assemble
• save
• establish
• organize
• revamp
• preserve
• mold
• forge
• constitute
• bring about
• frame
• institute
• recondition
• fashion
• rebuild
• fabricate
• doctor
• restore
• reconstruct
• conserve
• father
• renovate
• remodel

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of wreck

Noun

The preserve protects more than 20 wrecks in the area, several of which are open to divers. — Stacy Conde, Midwest Living, 10 Aug. 2026

Car wrecks in which people are injured are frequent and many are not criminal matters, defense attorney Gill said in his closing argument in the guilt-innocence trial phase. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Aug. 2026

Verb

This group of men did stuff that hurt others to often terrible degrees but also wrecked themselves and their careers. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Come for the timeliness, stay for Cap wrecking a bunch of guys in an elevator. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2026

Phrases Containing wreck

• nervous wreck